RICK DREWER

WILLASTON’s season is all but over after it was thumped by South Gawler by 61 points in Barossa, Light & Gawler A-grade football on Saturday.
Despite being played in perfect conditions, the opening was a tough and ugly affair with both sides applying immense pressure resulting in numerous ball skill errors and turnovers.
Against the run of play, courtesy of a fortunate bounce of the ball, the Donnys’ Josh Waldhuter snapped truly from the pickup for the opening goal, eight minutes in.
The Lions defence was working overtime, with skipper Chris James and Bailey Zobel outstanding.
Despite Dom Costanzo appearing to be everywhere, it took until the halfway mark of the term, when Dan Goulding out of a ball-up pack potted a major for the Lions to take the lead, which they never surrendered for the rest of the game.
Nathan Bartsch scored the first of his match-high five goals, followed by another from Leslie Baker to give the Lions a 13-point lead at the first interval.
South playing-coach Jack Osborn was pleased with his side’s start.
“I’m happy with our accountability and we are so much better than them, but with 19 inside 50s with only seven scoring shots, we’re too wasteful, take care,” he said.
Inside the opening minute of the second term, Bartsch ran into an open goal and the Lions were on their way and he scored again within another minute.
Lee Sutton marked and goaled to get one back for the Donnys but, alas, Bartsch replied with his fourth major halfway through the term.
Brodie Cormack scored Willaston’s third and final goal for the first half.
Jackson Press with two, Baker with another and Bartsch with his fifth extended South’s lead to 44 points at the long break.
To Willaston’s credit, it did show fight and determination in the third term, in fact winning it by 10 points.
Michael Clinch with great rebound, Ash Fry, Tyson Irlam, Lee Sutton and Brodie Cormack all contributed; while for the Lions, Jack Osborn and Jonathon Wright gave the on-ballers first look at the ball and Darcy Judd-Smith was the general in defence.
At the final change, Osborn was not happy with his side allowing the Donnybrooks back into the contest.
“We didn’t work hard enough, not enough effort, the tackle count was down, help each other, turn it around,” he said.
It took South nearly eight minutes to score the first goal of the final term, through Pat White, which was negated by Irlam’s goal for the Donnys moments later.
But the Lions proceeded to add another six majors in a row, before Irlam scored Willaston’s next and last goal, moments before the siren.